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Valentine Chocolate Breakfast from GUEST CHEF – The Green Thread

Leslie and I met at TNNA last month. She attended my internet classes AND did me a BIIIG favor when I needed someone to run down to the Convention Floor, find my booth, open and search boxes and bring back some missing class supplies! I will be ETERNALLY grateful!

As things go at a TNNA trade show, we got to talking and bonded over our love of needlework and… cooking! (Could you guess?)

Leslie was gracious enough to volunteer to be my Valentine’s Day Guest Chef. ;-)

TheArmchairChef.com GUEST CHEF – The Green Thread

Valentine Chocolate Breakfast

We’re over our heads with snow here, on the back side of the Eastern Sierra, generating an outdoor color theme of white and blue. Inside, I index the senses, seeking stimulation of each one for my customers and myself.

Today, for the eyes, the Danforth (lead-free) Pewter heart buttons shine from within a Herrod’s rose soap box. Wandering hands will be rewarded for waiting for yesterday’s mail which delivered Farmhouse (hand-dyed, from American sheep) Yarns. Their thick-and-thin orchids and indigos are almost rubbery with fresh resilience.

Gotta nix the ‘I’m Your Man’ Leonard Cohen CD for music. I had to dash across the room to snuff it yesterday when it hit a naughty section while a lovely young high school girl was winding yarn with her loving mother.

So, that leaves smell and taste. My kitchen serves as ‘home’ in the morning, transforming to ‘hearth’ for customers at 10:00. I lit the woodstove, then turned to toss some cocoa into the waffles–easy enough, and perhaps the fragrance will linger as long as the memory of those toasty brown treats.

Best regards,

Leslie Willoughby
The Green Thread

Adam and Eve Chocolate Valentine Waffles – Ingredients

Your favorite mix for 5-6 waffles.

3+ Tablespoons Fair Trade cocoa–available at your health food store. A love gift to other cultures–we don’t want babies picking our cocoa beans!

One packet dry spiced apple cider mix–for sweetening and Vitamin C

Whipped cream

Apple sauce

Step by Step

1) Mix your waffle batter as you normally would. Then stir in the cocoa and apple cider mix separately, a couple of tablespoons at a time, adjusting for colorway and flavor to your lover’s taste.

2) Place one cocoa crispy waffle on a fancy plate. Spread with apple sauce. Cover with a second waffle. Top with whipped cream and a heart-shaped dusting of cocoa.

3) Serve and Enjoy!

The Green Thread

The Green Thread is a yarn boutique for needle artists who prefer ‘green’ fibers and tools. Sustainable, Homespun, Organic, Humane, Fairly Traded–these products tie our community together while supporting other cultures.

Located at 7,000 feet in the Eastern Sierra, we share ‘home’ with the Sierra Bighorn Sheep as well as domestic sheep, llamas, and alpacas. Whether you walk on over here with your doggies or drive up from southern California, you’ll find yourself welcome in the kitchen for another cup of tea and a few more rows of needlework.

As a new shop, The Green Thread builds inventory based on customer requests. From Rio de la Plata wools of Uruguay to Lantern Moon needles of Vietnam, from BeSweet’s mohair of South Africa to Mono County’s own homespun merino, we welcome the natural products of cottage industries worldwide.

As a small boutique, The Green Thread specializes in personal services such as custom orders and instruction, advanced workshops, repair and finishing. With our feet now steady on the ground (the rocky morraine of the John Muir Wilderness), we ‘anticipate late 2008′ an online market that will open our collection of green fibers and tools to the rest of the world.

www.greenthreadworld.com

Guest Chef – Caroline’s Thread & Canvas

Hi! I’m Caroline, owner of Caroline’s Thread & Canvas, a needlework shop located in a very small and very friendly town in Ashland, VA. The odds are you’ve never heard of Ashland, VA, but it might ring a bell if you’ve ever traveled Interstate I-95 heading south from Washington DC

Anyway besides being a “needlework nut”, I love reading recipe books and testing out new goodies to eat. That’s why I love following The Armchair Chef. Now since I’m not a football nut, it seems kind of weird that I’m submitting a Super Bowl recipe. My biggest connection to Super Bowl is that it’s a great excuse to sit in front of the TV and stitch! I have to admit, though, it’s also a good excuse to cook something special for family and friends and for this occasion it’s going to be “Super Sunday Bean Soup”!

For years my mother and I used a favorite cookbook called The Words Worth Eating Cookbook published by our local supermarket, Ukrops. Anyway, my mother discovered this recipe way back when and it has become a family favorite, even if it’s not Super Bowl Sunday. Add a salad and some Italian bread and you’re good to go!

TheArmchairChef.com
Super Sunday Bean Soup
“A perfect dish for the football crowd!”

For years my mother and I used a favorite cookbook called The Words Worth Eating Cookbook published by our local supermarket, Ukrops. Anyway, my mother discovered this recipe way back when and it has become a family favorite, even if it’s not for Super Sunday Football Party. Add a salad and some Italian bread and you’re good to go!

Ingredients

16 ounces dried Navy beans
6 ounces salt pork (I omit for dietary restrictions)
2 quarts water
1/2-3/4 cup minced onion
1 cup minced celery
1 cup diced cooked ham
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt (I omit)
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
1 10 ounce can tomato soup
Additional cup of water optional

Step by Step

1) Place beans in a large pot and cover with water; soak overnight.
2) Drain and add 2 quarts of water. Add salt pork if desired or substitute a ham bone if available.
3) Bring to boil; reduce heat immediately and cook covered over low heat approximately 2 hours.
4) Add onion, celery, and 2 additional cups of water.
5) Cover and continue cooking for an additional hour or until beans are tender.
6) Add salt if desired, pepper and tomato soup.
7) If needed, add up to an additional cup of water. (I usually do not find it necessary to add more water since we like a thicker soup.)
8 ) Simmer until soup reaches desired consistency. Season according to personal taste. I sometimes add a small can of tomato paste and flour to thicken. The longer the soup simmers the better.
Serves 6 to 8.

Caroline’s Thread & Canvas

Caroline’s Thread & Canvas is a needlework shop located in a very small and very friendly town in Ashland, VA. The odds are you’ve never heard of Ashland, VA, but it might ring a bell if you’ve ever traveled Interstate I-95 heading south from Washington D. C.

Guest Chef – Eileen Aird of Ridgewood Needlepoint

Today’s Guest Chef is Eileen Aird, owner of Ridgewood Needlepoint in Ridgewood, New Jersey. EIleen is one of the friends I manage to spend time with at every TNNA Trade Show. We talk needlework but, we also talk food. ;-)

Now, here’s Eileen:

I love the fall. I love the colors and the fact that the air is crisp. In early September, customers are still very busy with getting their kids back to school. But toward the end of September, everybody starts to come back in. Customers are picking up their Halloween pieces and dropping off their Christmas ones. It’s a busy season. Of course, it’s the perfect time to pick up the Halloween project for next year. Start the Christmas ornaments early for 2008.

Personally, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It’s not about gifts and there is an innocence about it. I have a huge Melissa Shirley witch that I have barely started. But I would love to have finish it in time for next Halloween.

I love stitching whimsical things and Halloween is the perfect setting. I’ve stitched a Halloween candy bag with a black cat and pumpkins. The kit is on our website. By next year, I will have stitched the Halloween outfit for the Paper Doll Club. This year, I’ll be able to display the doll in her Thanksgiving glory.

TheArmchairChef.com Guest Chef
PLUM TORTE

My recipe is a fall recipe. It’s best with the small purple plums, sometimes called Italian or Hungarian prunes. I’m not a big baker but I love this recipe. In fact, I always cut out different plum recipes to see if I can find one I like better, but so far this is my favorite.
Eileen
http://www.RidgewoodNeedlepoint.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup unbleached sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
12 pitted purple plums

For Topping:
sugar
lemon juice
cinnamon

Step by Step

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
1) Combine the sugar and butter
2) Add the baking powder, flour, salt and eggs
3) Beat well.
4) Spoon the batter into a tart pan
5) Place the plum halves skin side down on top of the batter.
6) Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice and cinnamon. These amounts will vary depending upon your taste for cinnamon and sweetness.
7) Bake one hour.
8) Cool.
9) Serve with vanilla ice cream and Enjoy!

Alternative Version

Because the plums are only available for a short time, it’s an early fall dish. But just because the plums are gone, doesn’t mean you can’t use the recipe. Instead of plums, substitute a combination of apples and cranberries. 1) Peel, quarter and slice 3 large baking apples.
2) Spread ½ cup of raw cranberries over the batter and then top with the apple slices.
3) Sprinkle with cinnamon,1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
4) Sprinkle with sugar.

Archive for the ‘Guest Chef’ Category

Valentine Chocolate Breakfast from GUEST CHEF – The Green Thread

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Guest Chef – Caroline’s Thread & Canvas

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Guest Chef – Eileen Aird of Ridgewood Needlepoint

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